A known wind turbine generator in the related art generates electricity using wind power, which is natural energy. This type of wind turbine generator is configured such that a nacelle mounted on a tower is provided with a rotor head fitted with wind turbine blades, a main shaft connected to the rotor head so as to rotate together therewith, a gearbox connected to the main shaft that rotates by receiving wind power with the wind turbine blades, and a generator driven by the shaft output power of the gearbox. In the thus-configured wind turbine generator, the rotor head having the wind turbine blades that convert wind power to rotational power and the main shaft rotate to generate shaft output power, and the shaft output power, which is increased in rotational speed through the gearbox connected to the main shaft, is transmitted to the generator. Thus, power generation can be performed using the shaft output power obtained by converting wind power to rotational power as a driving source for the generator, that is, using wind power as motive power for the generator.
The conventional wind turbine generator described above is sometimes installed in a heavy snowfall region or in a cold snowy environment in which the outside air temperature is low, below freezing. In such a cold snowy environment, ice and snow sometimes adhere around an anemoscope/anemometer, which is one of the sensors important for controlling the operation of the wind turbine generator, thus hindering normal measurement. Therefore, the conventional wind turbine generator is equipped with a heater as a snow melter inside the anemoscope/anemometer.
As an example of a defrosting and deicing apparatus for the wind turbine generator, there is a device that prevents ice from adhering to the blades (wind turbine blades) using exhaust air in the nacelle or the tower (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
There is also a wind turbine generator that obtains a deicing effect for the wind turbine blades using the cooling wind of a gearless generator (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Translation of PCT International Application, Publication No. 2006-514190
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2004-251270